Speaking in Geneva at the opening session of his country’s presidency of the multilateral forum, the high-ranking official stressed that the eradication of lethal devices of mass extermination is and must continue to be the top priority in the field of disarmament and the Conference.

We express deep concern and alarm at the latent danger of a nuclear conflagration, from which no nation will escape its devastating effects, he warned.

In this regard, the First Deputy Foreign Minister described as encouraging the decision to reactivate the work of the Conference on Disarmament as a key component of the United Nations disarmament machinery.

According to Peñalver, Cuba is convinced that the Conference has the capacity to simultaneously negotiate important norms to prevent and protect humanity from danger.

In this regard, he mentioned a legally binding instrument to prohibit the arms race in outer space; another to provide security guarantees for States which, like Cuba, do not possess nuclear weapons; and a third, to prohibit the production of fissile material for the manufacture of nuclear weapons or other devices of the same nature.

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